Claiming Mia Read online

The smacks resumed, landing harder and drawing a whimper as he struck a tender spot just under the curve of one buttock. Her vagina heated along with her butt and throbbed in tune with the abused flesh. She tried telling herself this was wrong, her response had to be a strange fluke, born of desperation from the humiliating end to her marriage and her celibacy since. Yes, that had to be it, she determined when a blistering smack covered the middle of her whole butt and pushed her hips forward.

  “Next time, I’ll make you count,” he stated with the last, butt jarring blow.

  Pent-up air whooshed out of Mia’s lungs as the echoes of slapping flesh faded, leaving her heavy breathing and the hoot of an owl the only sounds resonating in the inky darkness. She started to rise but the brush of his hand over her sore cheeks stilled her, as did his next words.

  “I can make your body sing in tune with the pain.” The graze of his fingers between her aching globes drew another shiver; the light glide over her anus sent a jolt of pleasure and a wave of heat throughout her system. “Let me show you what you’ve been missing.”

  “I… I’ll think about it.” Her brain must be more muddled than she thought for her to even consider an affair with a man she didn’t like.

  “Just give me one night,” he said, squeezing her right buttock before pushing her skirt down. Grasping her shoulders, Nolan helped Mia straighten, turned her around and hugged her. She sagged against him, shuddering, taking advantage of his embrace to gather her wits. “There, all done, and you did fine. Give yourself a moment and I’ll follow you home.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Mia roused herself enough to protest.

  “Yes, it is. Don’t speed. Next time I won’t be as lenient.” With a nudge, he helped her back into the truck, slid her seatbelt on and then kissed her until her toes curled.

  The drive home took forever. Every time Mia shifted on the seat, her pussy twitched in awareness of the pulsing discomfort across her buttocks. The sensations that spanking stirred up were all new to her, and she would be lying to herself if she denied being tempted by his offer. She’d always enjoyed sex but couldn’t recall a single instance when she’d been as aroused as she was now. Was it the forbidden touch of a virtual stranger, the outdoor exposure and slight risk of exhibitionism, or just plain horniness that accounted for her uncharacteristic response to the chief? She tried imagining herself with one of the nice men she’d danced with last week and couldn’t picture allowing any of them to torment her the way Nolan just had. Telling herself she’d let him punish her in lieu of another ticket was a copout, and she knew it.

  By the time Mia pulled into her drive, the confusion, irritation and body heat Nolan always stirred up had risen to their highest levels yet. When he got out of his cruiser and followed her up the side stairs to her apartment, her resentment bubbled over.

  “I’m perfectly capable of getting inside on my own, Chief.”

  Ignoring her sniping, Nolan took the keys from her hands and unlocked the door himself. “When you’re with me, your body along with your safety are my responsibility, and I take both seriously.” Pushing open the door, he stepped back and handed her back the keys. “Give my proposition some thought, but don’t wait too long or I may change my mind.” Chucking her under her chin, he pivoted and jogged back down the stairs without looking back.

  Shaking her head, she went inside wondering what it was about his highhandedness that excited her. Peter had always treated her with polite consideration, sometimes so polite it bordered on aloofness, and she had thought nothing of it.

  Padding into the bathroom, she stripped and couldn’t help but turn to look at her still tender butt in the mirror. She clenched her cheeks eying the pink tinge and ran her fingers over the tender skin, disappointed to note the soreness was already diminishing. It’s just a fluke, nothing more. Maybe if she repeated that enough she would start to believe it.

  * * *

  “Good morning, boss,” Barry greeted Mia the next morning as she strolled toward where he was stacking bags of potting soil by the outdoor check-out counter.

  “Hey, Barry. Thanks for getting this done so soon.” She gestured toward the neat rows and then glanced around to make sure no one else was within hearing distance. “Look, I know I’m just your employer, but the man I saw you with last night…”

  A hint of impatience crossed his face before he smoothed it out with a smile and a raised hand. “It’s okay. We were just walking out at the same time. We’d struck up a conversation at the bar, but other than that, I don’t know him or hang out with him. But, hey, thanks for caring.”

  “My sons are only a few years younger than you. It’s hard to suppress those motherly concerns.” Even though his frequent tardiness and absences irritated Mia, she still cared about his well-being.

  “So, I’ve gotta ask. What were you doing there? I never pictured you for the bar type.”

  Mia shrugged, annoyed yet another person pointed out she ‘wasn’t that type’. “There’s not much else to do around here, is there? I can only go see so many movies.”

  Barry laughed. “That’s true. But seriously, maybe you should drive all the way into Albuquerque and check out more reputable clubs. They’d be more up your alley.”

  “I’ll think about it. Let’s get back to work. Are you guys set on the delivery out to Birmingham’s place?”

  “Yep, we’ll get everything loaded and head out there within the hour. Drew’s hooking up the flatbed now.”

  “Great, thanks. I’ll hold the fort down here today so you can get his front gardens in.”

  Mia returned inside thinking if either of her sons had been so quick to deny any wrong doing, her parental suspicions would kick in. She didn’t know Barry, or Drew and Donny that well, and Barry often got under her skin with his tardiness and lame excuses. What they did away from their job was their business. Maybe it was because she fretted over what trouble the twins might court now they were away from home and out from under both her and Peter’s thumbs for the first time that she found herself concerned about the young men she employed. Or maybe it gave herself something else to worry about besides the sleepless night due to vivid dreams of a hard-edged cop taking over her body in a way both foreign and tempting to her.

  Trish arrived and to avoid questions about last night, Mia quickly assigned her some tasks in the shop before heading back outside to work the Saturday shoppers. Right before lunch, she spotted Nolan turning in and dashed inside, intending to avoid him.

  “I’m taking a break. Don’t bother me unless it’s an emergency,” she instructed Trish before holing up in her office. Like the coward she was, Mia waited until she saw him leave again before venturing out.

  “What the heck was that about? I could use your help,” Trish complained with a questioning look.

  “I’m sorry. I… wasn’t feeling well and needed to get out of the heat is all. I’m fine now.”

  “Yeah, right,” she returned in derision. “You wouldn’t be avoiding our hot chief, would you?”

  Rather than lie again, Mia said, “I’ll be outside if you need me.” Ignoring Trish’s chuckle, she got back to work.

  By Wednesday afternoon, she’d avoided talking to Nolan three times, but that still didn’t put a stop to her sweaty dreams and the empty ache between her legs she’d never experienced before. Not even a session with the vibrator she’d purchased as a pick-me-up gift after Peter left her had helped.

  Mia always closed the nursery at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesdays for a mid-week break and, after shutting down, decided to take her mind off her wayward libido by indulging in a shopping trip. Money remained tight, and she needed nothing other than a few groceries, but she loved window-gazing and it was high time she made an attempt to start visiting again with people she’d known her whole life growing up in the same small town.

  Funny, she mused as she changed into a sleeveless, knee-skimming sundress and sandals, Nolan was only six years older than her and also spent his childhood growing up in Whi
tetail, yet they barely knew each other. Once she’d set eyes on Peter, all other guys had ceased to exist for her. She now realized she’d first allowed her immature crush on the popular high school football hero to blind her to his conceited faults, and then his financial success and standing in the community to keep her from admitting neither had been happy for the last nine of their nineteen-year marriage.

  Shoving aside regrets, Mia parked in front of her favorite boutique on Main Street and vowed not to let thoughts of either Peter or Nolan ruin the pleasant afternoon. That promise lasted until she entered the popular corner diner two hours later and stumbled to a stop when she almost bumped into her ex waiting to be seated with his girlfriend, Tami. She’d stayed to herself the past year to avoid just such an encounter and her embarrassed fumbling continued when the slender blonde lifted her left hand to her face and a stunning, glittering engagement ring drew Mia’s eye.

  “Mia, what brings you into town this afternoon?”

  The annoyance in Peter’s tone rubbed her wrong, but the quick stab of pain when he slipped his arm around Tami’s waist and pulled her close stilled her tongue. She no longer loved him, but when she looked away from the smug look on Tami’s face and caught others eying her with sympathy, she stuttered a lame response.

  “I… needed some things and—”

  “Really, Mia,” Peter interrupted with disapproving censure. “Your little business will never take off if you’re not there to run it.”

  He’d used that same disparaging tone with her whenever he’d felt she hadn’t acted with proper decorum or behaved responsibly. It grated on her now as much as it had when they were married, but when Tami ran her hand down his thigh and he didn’t berate her for the public display of affection, it reminded her of how he’d always deemed even hand holding in public as unsuitable for a man in his position.

  How could I have been so stupid for so long? Mia squared her shoulders, determined not to let either of them get to her. “Look, I’m doing just fine…”

  She trailed off when Nolan came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Mia had to blink her gritty, sleep-deprived eyes twice to focus past the surprise of his sudden appearance and familiarity. “More than just fine, sweetheart.” He held out his other hand. “Peter Reynolds, isn’t it?”

  Peter frowned, his dark eyes filled with hypocritical reproach as he looked from Mia to Nolan. Taking Nolan’s hand, there was no mistaking his wince when Nolan shook it and it was all Mia could do to keep from laughing while enjoying the flicker of appreciation in Tami’s eyes as she gazed at Nolan.

  “Yes. I heard you’d taken the job of police chief. I hadn’t heard you and Mia hooked up.”

  “She finally submitted to my demands just last weekend, I’m happy to say.”

  Mia flipped him a startled look, her face heating as she caught his meaning. “Yes, well, he nabbed me at a weak moment.”

  “Sometimes you have to resort to tough measures to get a woman’s attention.” Nolan shifted his arm downwards, his hand sliding over her backside in a casual, intimate caress right there in front of the other couple.

  Mia started to shift away from the embarrassing touch even as her buttocks clenched in remembered pleasure of feeling his rough palm connecting with her bare flesh. Then she saw the moment Peter recognized what Nolan was doing even though he couldn’t see behind her and the flare of indignation on his face halted her movements. Now it was her turn to smirk as Tami’s eye’s widened and then narrowed. For the first time since Peter had flaunted his much younger fling in front of her, she felt as if she was getting a little payback.

  Shrugging, she looked the other woman in the eye and said, “Some men are hard to resist and some,” she gazed back at Peter, “aren’t.”

  “I’d rather eat elsewhere,” Tami snapped with a toss of her head.

  Peter hesitated and then stepped around them. “Chief, nice to meet you.”

  Without a word to Mia, they left, leaving her standing there in awkward silence with Nolan until she said, “You can release me now.”

  “Can I?” he murmured just as the hostess dashed up to seat them, her frazzled air explaining the wait.

  “I’m sorry for the delay. We got swamped at noon and are just now catching our breath. Two?” she asked, picking up two menus from the hostess stand.

  “Yes,” Nolan answered before telling Mia, “Don’t argue.”

  Since he was the reason she was gloating from having bested Peter, she didn’t complain and let him usher her into the corner booth the hostess led them to. As soon as the girl left, she couldn’t help asking, “What was that all about?”

  “You let that prick get to you, and it pissed me off. Someday, you can tell me why. And I wanted to show you the effect having an affair with me will have on your idiot of an ex. Wouldn’t it be worth it just for that even if you’re not convinced yet I can take you places you’ve never been before?”

  Ignoring that last remark, and the shiver his comment induced, she retorted, “How do you know he’s a prick if you don’t know him?”

  “He gave you up, didn’t he?”

  Mia floundered at that casual remark. How the heck could a man she didn’t like get to her with such an off-hand compliment? “Maybe our split was my fault.” Hadn’t she spent the first six months asking herself what she’d done wrong?

  “Doubtful. What would you like? I don’t have long before I have to make an appearance at the town council meeting. My treat.”

  Giving up, which turned out to be easy to do, she ordered a chef salad and told herself she’d rather enjoy a meal with an irritating man who was drawing speculative looks their way than dine alone. She would take the townsfolk’s curiosity over pity any day.

  “Do you still need time to think about my offer?” Nolan inquired bluntly as soon as the waitress took their order.

  “Yes. Don’t push me. I’ve never…” she waved her hand between them, “done anything like that.”

  “What? Had an affair or enjoyed getting spanked?” he returned with a sardonic lift of one eyebrow.

  “Keep your voice down,” she hissed, casting a frantic look around to see if anyone heard.

  “No one heard me, but you worry too much over what others might think. Remember, I’ll only wait for so long.”

  Chapter 4

  Mia’s determination not to let Nolan rush her into making such a monumental decision lasted all of two hours following their early dinner, up until the moment she pulled into the bank drive-through to make a deposit. There, against the back door, she witnessed Peter clutching Tami’s butt as he kissed her with heated enthusiasm in a blatant, open display smacking of even more hypocrisy than he’d revealed at the diner. For years, he’d refused to even hold Mia’s hand where anyone of importance might see them, stating public displays of affection were below his position and unseemly. Granted, he stood with his back to any cars coming around the building and the overhang cast them in shadows, but she could spot his perfectly groomed blond hair and lean build anywhere. And if she could, others could.

  Cursing herself and her years of naïve stupidity more than the jerk she married, she dropped off the week’s deposit and drove straight to the small police precinct one street over from Main. Slamming out of the truck, she allowed her anger to propel her inside and ask to speak to Chief MacGregor before she could change her mind.

  “Thank you,” she told the receptionist who, after making a call, pointed to his closed door and instructed she could go on in.

  Nolan sat behind a large desk littered with papers, leaning back in his chair with his elbows braced on the armrests and his hands steepled under his chin. Mia hadn’t seen him often without his hat on, and the power of his direct, cobalt blue stare hit her with the force of a sucker-punch to the gut and an electric zap to her long-deprived body.

  Her pussy went damp, and she blurted the first thing on her mind. “Is your offer still open?”

  * * *

  Nolan quir
ked one brow at this quick about-face, reining in the temptation to order her to bend over his desk and accept her punishment for making him wait. Even he knew better than to risk such a thing here. But damn, the longing to do so was nibbling at him with the sharp teeth of a barracuda. She’d pissed him off when he’d followed her into the diner and caught her stammering in front of her asswipe of an ex and his arm candy. Whatever happened between then and now worked to his advantage. He could pull it out of her later.

  He jotted his address down and held the paper out to her, his eyes on her face as he instructed, “Come to my house Saturday night, eight o’clock.” His gaze drifted down her body in a slow sweep before returning to her pink face and testing her sudden capitulation. “Wear that dress and sandals, nothing else.”

  “You want me to drive to your place without wearing underwear? In a dress?”

  Her appalled tone tickled Nolan, but it wouldn’t do to let her see that. “Yes. Any other questions?”

  Mia shifted her feet, bit her lower lip, then asked, “Why wait until Saturday?”

  “To give you time to calm down over whatever sent you running here. You need to be sure this is what you want because the one night you are agreeing to spend with me will be done so under my command and your only safety net will be the word red.”

  Wariness clouded her eyes, but the rigid outline of her nipples through the thin cotton dress and bra gave her away. “I-I can’t stay late Sunday morning.”

  Nolan cocked his head and let his amusement show. “I would enjoy accompanying you to church.”

  “What? No… that’s not… necessary, and not funny, Chief,” she added when he smiled.

  “I thought it was. I look forward to the weekend, Mia.”

  “One night, Chief. That’s what I’m agreeing to.”

  “For now,” he returned.

  She nodded. “For now.”

  He watched her spin around and leave without another word, her long braid of rich mahogany hair swirling around her rigid back. The woman walked on a great pair of legs, he mused, picturing those rounded thighs clutching his hips or draped over his shoulders. Too bad his own lust would have to wait a little longer to be appeased by her soft body. The one overnight would only leave time for an introduction into everything he could show her, and nothing else. He’d never met a woman her age who was still so naïve about the pleasures her body offered, and he blamed that lack on her prick of an ex.